Operator-driven framework for establishing and unifying autonomic network and service management solutions

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It is commonly recognized that the technology progress, dynamism but also complexity of telecommunication networks and services increase with rapid paces. Such challenges cannot be efficiently handled by traditional networking and management schemes. Autonomics in network and services management appear as the most viable way out. However, despite the significant research efforts and achievements in this field, a few and only recently start to convince operators for their deployability. In this direction, UniverSelf is a research initiative which proposes a pragmatic solution for overcoming the increasing complexity a) by consolidating and capitalizing on lessons learnt and b) by identifying and solving actual, first-priority, immediate and mid-term manageability problems encountered by operators. The cornerstone of UniverSelf approach is the Unified Management Framework (UMF), an operator-driven framework that designates processes, tools and methods for establishing (legacy, emerging and yet undiscovered) autonomic solutions in the joint management of networks and services. This paper provides a first concise description of the UMF design in terms of core, reusable and cohesive functional blocks and interfaces, as derives from the elaboration of requirements elicited from a set of operator problems (use cases). The design is complemented by principles and goals that address important high-level challenges such as the unification/federation of diverse autonomic solutions and technology domains, the governance of autonomic infrastructures and services, as well as the embodiment of autonomic solutions (intelligence) into the management ecosystem.